Chapter 24

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 10

Chapter Title: Shadows of Betrayal (3)

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As dawn broke, Leona tidied her bed and stepped out of her room.

In front of the adjacent room—the Crown Prince's quarters—guards from the Royal Guard and Barts stood watch.

Leona exchanged glances with the guards and approached Barts.

"Did His Highness cough?"

"Yes. He's currently speaking with Captain Makia inside."

"At this early hour? Oh, right—he's scheduled to observe the military training this morning, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you tired, Barts? I'll be here, so why don't you get some rest?"

"I'm fine. I just switched shifts with Noel. You should rest more yourself, Leona."

Leona lightly shook her head.

"I'll go prepare His Highness's tea."

"Alright, then. Take care."

As Leona turned to leave down the corridor, the guards grew flustered, and a few started to follow her.

Leona declined, saying she wouldn't go far.

When the guards hesitated, she persuaded them that it was truly fine—this place was safe, and she really didn't need an escort.

Since Leona insisted so strongly and the Crown Prince had given no explicit orders on her protection detail, the guards eventually yielded to her wishes.

Free of the Royal Guard, Leona moved about with a light heart.

With light steps, she exited the building and passed between the military barracks.

It was just past dawn, and the surroundings were gradually brightening.

Leona took a deep breath of the fresh air.

The thick scent of grass filled her nostrils.

Having finally slept properly in a real bed after the long journey, her body felt much lighter this morning.

On her way to the kitchen area, Leona spotted a familiar figure.

Seeing a man walking ahead not far off, she quickened her pace.

"Noel!"

Noel paused and turned around.

"Ah, Leona."

Leona quickly caught up to him.

Noel greeted her warmly with a good morning.

As they exchanged greetings, Leona glanced around and asked,

"Where are you headed, though?"

Noel gave an awkward smile and patted his stomach.

"I'm hungry. I was just looking for a quick bite."

"Perfect timing. I'm going there too—let's walk together."

"Sure."

The two matched their steps and walked side by side.

Watching the supply troops bustling in the distance, Leona said,

"Breakfast should be out soon. Wouldn't it be better to wait and eat properly?"

"I'm really sleepy right now... I plan to grab something quick and crash."

"True, you were on duty all night. You must be exhausted."

"A quick nap will fix me right up."

Noel scratched the back of his head as he replied, then suddenly stopped walking.

Leona naturally came to a halt as well.

Noel stared somewhere with eyes full of curiosity.

At the end of his gaze stood a man Leona had never seen before.

The man was gaunt and pallid-faced.

He was shuffling unsteadily toward where Leona stood.

He looked so frail at a glance that he didn't seem like a regular soldier.

Two familiar soldiers followed behind him.

"Who's that?"

To Leona's question, Noel whispered in reply.

"A traveler Viscount Hunt discovered."

"Ah... the one who came looking for his brother..."

"Poor guy. After all that hardship to reach the border fortress, he learns his brother's fallen in battle."

Sympathy filled Noel's voice.

Leona felt pity for the man's plight too.

"They're already kicking him out of the fortress. And he looks so weak..."

"No choice. We're at war."

As they spoke, the distance between the traveler and Leona narrowed considerably.

The soldiers escorting him to the gates spotted Leona and Noel and waved in greeting.

Their steps slowed as they exchanged hellos.

But the traveler, not looking around, staggered forward alone.

It was just as he passed by Leona's side.

Suddenly, the traveler lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

Startled, Noel and the soldiers rushed to help him up.

Leona looked at his ashen face with concern.

"Your face looks so pale—are you okay? Are you ill?"

With help from those around, the traveler barely steadied himself and was startled to see Leona.

One of the nearby soldiers introduced her.

"She's a maid from the Imperial Palace."

Hearing that, the traveler hurriedly bowed to Leona.

Leona stopped him and expressed worry for his condition.

The traveler forced a smile and said,

"I'm fine. Just a brief dizzy spell."

"Why not rest a bit? Do you really need to leave the fortress so soon?"

Leona asked, glancing at the soldiers.

As they opened their mouths to reply, the traveler spoke first.

"I want to leave this place as soon as possible. I don't want to stay long where my brother died..."

"I understand how you feel. But can you travel far in that condition?"

One of the soldiers interjected.

"Don't worry. His Highness granted him a horse."

"Really? That's a relief. Then... please take care of yourself."

"Yes... thank you for your concern."

The man gave a feeble bow and resumed walking.

Leona and Noel watched him for a moment before hurrying on their way.

Upon arriving at the kitchen area, they parted to handle their respective tasks.

Leona boiled water for the Crown Prince's tea, while Noel gathered some snacks on a tray.

"I'll head out first, then."

"Yes. Thanks for your help, Noel."

Noel picked up the tray and left the kitchen area ahead of her.

With reveille approaching, the supply troops were rushing about preparing meals.

Noel leisurely wove through them and returned to his room.

The moment he arrived, he set the tray on the floor and quickly locked the door.

After glancing around the cramped room, he rummaged inside his left sleeve.

Soon, a small scrap of paper emerged from the narrow sleeve opening.

Noel swiftly read the coded message on it, then popped the paper into his mouth and swallowed.

At that moment, Leona exited the kitchen with the tea.

As she made her way back to the building, greeting familiar soldiers along the way, someone called out to her.

"Leona."

"Ah, Captain Jonathan. Good morning."

"Yes. Good morning to you."

Jonathan wore a gentle smile and exaggeratedly scanned the surroundings.

"Oh! No overzealous Royal Guard today. What's the occasion?"

Leona chuckled at his teasing.

"Be careful, Captain. You never know when those overzealous ones might pop up."

"Eek!"

At her warning, Jonathan feigned alarm and warily checked around.

Leona shook with laughter at his playful antics.

Jonathan smoothly took the tray from her hands.

"Here, let me. You're heading to His Highness, right? I'm going that way too."

"To see His Highness?"

"No, looking for Captain Makia."

"Then could you take it to His Highness's door?"

The two walked side by side.

After a brief silence, Jonathan spoke up.

"Um, Leona... you're a Lifetime Oath maid, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Jonathan nodded gravely before asking again.

"So... Lifetime Oath maids are bound to the palace forever? Meaning they can never marry?"

His question came carefully, as if choosing his words.

"Of course."

Jonathan's face fell at her answer. Then Leona added,

"But there are occasional exceptions."

"Exceptions?"

His eyes lit up.

"In the past, a few Lifetime Oath maids have withdrawn their oaths, left the palace, and married."

"Really?"

Leona eyed Jonathan curiously.

His keen interest in this seemed odd.

"Yes. Withdrawing the oath isn't impossible. If you repay three times the contract gold the palace provided when you took the oath, it's allowed. Though it's an enormous sum."

"That's no issue. Our vice captain inherited a massive fortune."

Leona stopped walking.

Jonathan realized his slip and clamped his mouth shut.

Leona stared at him blankly.

A sudden thought made her gape.

"Oh my god, is Vice Captain Stan dating a Lifetime Oath maid?"

"No! It's just unrequited admiration on his part..."

"One-sided love?"

"W-Well... it looks that way, but he hasn't admitted it."

Leona recalled her previous life.

She didn't remember hearing about Stan marrying anyone.

No Lifetime Oath maid had broken her vow during her time in the palace either.

Leona pictured Stan and understood why.

No way that stiff man could succeed in romance.

Her eyes sparkling, Leona probed Jonathan slyly.

"Who is she? Which palace maid? Tell me just this once. Please?"

"Uh... w-well..."

Jonathan quickened his pace to dodge the question.

Leona persisted relentlessly.

"I know everyone in the palace. What if I help Vice Captain Stan connect with her?"

Under her insistence, Jonathan's steps slowed.

"From what I see, Stan needs someone to give him a push to make romance work. Don't you think so, Captain? With that blunt, cold personality, he'll never win a woman's heart without help."

Finally, Jonathan stopped.

Leona looked at him expectantly.

He pondered briefly, then met her gaze squarely, resolved.

"Leona."

"Yes."

"Could you make some time tonight?"

"Pardon?"

The traveler, 'Wayne Hudson,' galloped across the plains on horseback.

Three hours had passed since leaving the border fortress.

The sun had risen, but he was already beyond the imperial army's sight.

Soon, a group of mounted men appeared before Wayne.

Wayne reined in his horse, and the men dismounted in unison, bowing low.

"Where is he?"

The leader of the group replied to Wayne's question.

"Waiting not far from here."

"Lead the way."

"Yes."

The men swiftly remounted.

Wayne rode with them.

Before long, a low hill covered in yellowish soil came into view.

A Katago Tribe warrior with black skin and red hair waited before it.

Wayne dismounted and addressed the warrior in the Katago tongue.

[Is the 8th Har safe?]

[Yes. But stranger, you look unwell.]

[I'm fine. More importantly, any suspicious moves from the 13th Har?]

[None yet.]

[Keep eyes on the 13th Har. Contact us the moment he moves.]

[Is the assassination squad ready?]

Wayne nodded.

[Disguised them as imperial soldiers. Once the 13th Har seals the pact with the Crown Prince and parts ways, the squad strikes. Tell the 8th Har to hide nearby and wait. After they kill him and slip away, the 8th Har recovers the body and pins the death on the empire. Got it?]

[Understood.]

[The key is the 13th Har's secret pact document. Destroy it immediately upon recovering the body. Follow my lead, and I'll support you fully until the 8th Har becomes 'Han.' Tell him not to betray my expectations.]

[No worries. The 8th Har values your pact highly.]

Wayne smirked and signaled a subordinate.

The subordinate handed the Katago warrior a tiny birdcage.

Inside was a black bird the size of a baby's fist.

[A trained messenger bird. Release it if the 13th Har moves.]

[Got it.]

The warrior pocketed the cage, mounted, and departed.

Wayne bade him farewell, then led his group onward.

Time passed, and darkness thickened over the horizon.

As night deepened, Chahu and his party slipped out of the army camp in secret.

At that moment, a small black bird soared high into the sky behind them.

Leona stood before the Crown Prince's room.

Today was her night shift.

Besides her, Royal Guard members on protection duty stood at the door.

Leona stood quietly, then checked the time.

It was nearly the appointed hour.

She glanced up at the Crown Prince's door.

It was firmly shut and silent.

Before retiring tonight, the Crown Prince had issued a special order.

He was exceptionally tired and not to be disturbed unless it was urgent.

Leona figured it was safe to step away briefly.

With the order in place, and since he rarely summoned attendants at night anyway.

Leona approached a nearby Royal Guard and whispered,

"I'll step away for a moment."

Clutching her stomach with a troubled look, the guard guessed her need and gestured for her to hurry back.

Leona muffled her footsteps and quickly left the corridor.

It was bedtime, so the fortress was dark and quiet.

Thanks to that, she exited the building without encountering anyone.

Outside was brighter than inside.

Torches lined the walls, and tonight's starry sky shone clear.

But the air was bitterly cold.

Feeling the chill on her skin, Leona donned the coat she'd brought. She'd prepared it in the lobby that afternoon, anticipating this.

Buttoning up, she headed to the meeting spot Jonathan had set.

That morning, he'd asked her to make time.

He wanted her to come out alone at midnight. If she did, he'd tell her what she wanted to know.

Leona found his condition strange but accepted.

To gather more on Stan.

During the march here, she'd observed him closely whenever possible.

Because she believed he'd steal the Crown Prince's secret pact document someday.

Yet the more she watched, the less he seemed like the culprit.

Stan clearly harbored resentment and lacked loyalty to the Crown Prince. But he showed it too openly.

If he truly plotted treason, he'd hide his animosity and feign devotion before the prince.

It'd be easier to strike that way.

But Stan had never concealed his feelings.

There was another reason: his access.

Since leaving the capital, Stan had spent minimal time near the Crown Prince.

That alone made stealing the document nearly impossible for him.

By contact time, Makia, Glenn, or even Royal Guards were more suspect.

Barts and Noel's suspicions lingered too.

So Leona had largely cleared Stan. But not entirely, hence seizing this chance.

Heading to the spot, she reviewed suspects again.

Suddenly, a question flashed through her mind.

When exactly was the Crown Prince robbed of the document?

In her previous life, Leona didn't know the precise moment.

She'd vaguely assumed it happened on the battlefield.

Security was laxer there than the palace.

But what if she was wrong?

What if it was stolen after returning to the palace?

Then the culprit was...

Leona frowned and rubbed her dry face.

All palace servants and maids would be suspects.

"Hoo..."

She let out a long sigh.

The deeper she delved into the culprit, the more lost she felt.

Leona halted and shook her head.

She cleared thoughts of the 'culprit.'

Instead, she pondered what she could do now to protect the Crown Prince.

The war was progressing like her previous life.

So a pact with the 13th Har was likely again.

If the document was made, her task was clear.

Stick to why she'd joined this campaign.

'Save the 13th Har and protect the Crown Prince's secret pact document.'

That would deny the Empress any pretext to attack him.

Leona stood stock-still, deep in thought.

For minutes, motionless, she sought ways to safeguard the document.

After weighing scenarios and variables, she decided.

Steal the Crown Prince's document before the culprit could!

Then it'd never reach the Empress.

Resuming her walk slowly, she mulled remaining issues.

Stealing it seemed easy.

The Crown Prince tossed even military tokens carelessly—snatching the document from him would be simple.

The problem was saving the 13th Har's life.

Earlier, she'd vaguely warned Chahu about the 8th Har.

Back then, the war diverged from her previous life, so she couldn't elaborate.

"I should have warned him clearly..."

Now she regretted not stressing the 13th Har's danger.

Her vague words likely left Chahu confused.

The 13th Har was assassinated the day he signed the pact.

How to stop his death?

"Maybe ask His Highness directly..."

She considered begging the Crown Prince to save him.

Soon, she shook her head.

He wouldn't care about the 13th Har's fate.

Given his nature, he'd watch him die indifferently, saying it was none of his business.

She had to act herself.

Meet the 13th Har and warn him of the 8th Har's ambush—that was the way to save him.

'Since we know each other, he won't totally ignore my warning. If lucky, I might meet Chahu there too...'

Leona stopped in a remote spot away from the fortress buildings.

She'd reached the meeting place, but Jonathan wasn't there yet.

Continuing her thoughts, she sketched a rough plan.

'In my previous life, the pact happened after the Katago surrendered. If nothing changes, it'll be around then. Wait for signs of His Highness moving, tail him secretly, meet the 13th Har covertly. The issue is tailing without detection... how to follow without being seen...'

"Ahem, ahem."

Leona snapped out of her reverie at the cough.

An unexpected person stood before her.

"Vice Captain Stan?"

"Ahem, ahem. Yes."

Stan avoided her eyes, his face stiffer than usual.

"Why are you here, Vice Captain? Where's Captain Jonathan?"

Leona looked around in confusion, but no one else was in sight.

"Ahem, Jonathan nagged me so much I had to come."

"He sent you?"

"Er-hem, ahem!"

Stan coughed incessantly, as if he had a bad cold.

Leona couldn't fathom Jonathan's intent.

What? Can't say it himself, so ask Stan directly?

She eyed Stan suspiciously.

Feeling her gaze, Stan scowled deeply.

Leona noticed he was drenched in sweat.

Breathing heavily as if he'd run here, hair disheveled, no cloak despite the night chill.

Seeing his rumpled clothes and the sword in his hand, she said,

"You must have been training."

"Ah..."

Stan noticed his state and fumbled to straighten up.

But the sword in his hand hindered him.

Leona watched briefly, then stepped forward and adjusted his clothes.

Stan froze like stone.

Leona closed his open collar and brushed dust from his sleeves.

"Nights are cold. You'll catch your death sweating like that in the chill. Carry a cloak."

"........."

After tidying him, Leona looked up.

Stan was staring intensely with piercing eyes.

Leona quickly stepped back.

"From dressing His Highness, I did it without thinking... Did it bother you?"

"N-No. Ahem. Ahem."

Stan started coughing again.

"You've been coughing badly. Hurry back to the barracks and warm up."

At her concern, Stan stopped coughing instantly.

Leona glanced toward the fortress, feigning busyness.

"I'm on duty—just stepped out briefly, so I need to return."

She hadn't fully dropped suspicions of Stan, coming here to learn more.

But she hadn't expected Stan instead of Jonathan.

Even brazen as she was, asking him outright about his crush was tough.

Time to give up and go.

"I'll be off."

As she turned, Stan suddenly grabbed her arm.

Leona's eyes widened, and Stan blurted desperately,

"Wait! Jonathan said to look at the stars!"

"Pardon? Stars?"

"H-He said... the stars are beautiful tonight, so definitely look..."

Leona looked up at the sky.

Indeed, the clear sky revealed stars brilliantly.

She was momentarily captivated by the deep blue canvas twinkling with countless stars.

"Tonight is... what they call 'L-Lovers' Day' in the capital."

Leona lowered her gaze to Stan.

He continued hurriedly, looking chased.

"So tonight's the brightest stargazing night of the year. Lovers meet at midnight to watch... t-that's why it's Lovers' Day..."

The longer he spoke, the more he stammered.

Stan’s face flushed deeper and deeper, but Leona didn't notice.

Her mind was elsewhere.

Absorbed in thought, she suddenly asked,

"What day is it today?"

"Uh... the 24th."

"The 24th? Really?"

Stan recounted the date and confirmed.

"Certain. It's the 24th."

Leona's face paled.

"What’s wrong?"

"Sorry... I have to go."

"Leona?"

"Sudden emergency..."

Leona shook off Stan's arm violently and dashed toward the fortress.

Today!

The pact happens today!